Air heater



M M w July 11, 1939. A. A. WOLF AIR HEATER Filed ApriL 17. 1937 U 0 H wM fl/ w 123 My 7 5 1 5mm 4 5 I PM L ll L 7 .5 u u 1 b a 1 .U \L c I litt. H l W L M 2 l t// /O 1 w z Patented July 11,1939 v 2,165,523

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Alli. HEATER Alfon A. Wolf, Garrett, Ind.

Application April 17, 1937. Serial No. 137,589

1 Claim. (Cl. 219-39) This invention relates to improvements inReferring now more particularly to the drawheating structures andpertains particularly to ing, wherein like numerals of referencedesignate improvements in air heaters. corresponding parts throughoutthe several views.

The primary object of the present invention the numeral I generallydesignates the housing or is to provide a. novel type of heatingstructure outer casing of a heating structure constructed 5 employing anelectrical heating unit wherein the in accordance with the presentinvention and unit is disposed in a closed housing and means designedfor heating an entire house and, thereis provided for passing airthrough the housing fore, intended to be placed in a cellar or some tothe points of distribution so that in its pasother suitable locationfrom where heat distributsage through the housing it will be heated tothe ing pipes may lead to various rooms to be heated. in

desired temperature. This housing is preferably of cylindrical crossAnother object of the invention is to provide section but, of course,need not be restricted to a novel electrically operated heatingstructure in such a form and is of double wall tr ti which athermostatic control is disposed within as illustrated, the inner andouter walls being the heating unit inclosing housing so that whenindicated respectively by the numerals 2 and 3. 15

the temperature within the housing reaches a These inner and outer wallsare in spaced reladesired maximum, the heating unit will have the tionand have packed between them a. heat incurrent supply automaticallyreduced and as the sulation material 4- of a suitable nature such astemperature within the housing drops, the current rock wool or the like.

supply to the heating unit will be automatically The toppf the housing Iis closed as illustrated, 20

increased. and the lower part of the housing tapers, as in- A stillfurther object of the invention is to prodicated at 5, to a base chamberforming casing vide in a heating structure wherein an electric which isindicated generally by the numeral 8 and heating unit is inclosed in ahousing with a conin which the electrical resistance heating unit I trolthermostat, air tubes extending through the is disposed. The specificconstruction of the g5 inclosed area with means, thermostaticallyconheating unit has not been illustrated as the same trolled from aremote point, for forcing air to forms no part of the invention. Anysuitable flow through the tubes to be heated, a novel feaheating unitmay be employed and the same may ture of the construction residing inthe fact that be supported in any suitable manner in the the initialflow of air through the tubes will bring chamber 6, the usual porcelainor other body of so about a reduction in temperature in the heaterinelectrical insulation material in which the heating closing casing toeffect the operation of the heater unit may be carried, being indicatedin dotted thermostat so as to increase the current supply outline andidentified by the numeral 8.

to the heater. A suitable supporting base 9 may be provided Theinvention will be best understood from a for maintaining the structurein the proper ver- 35 consideration of the following detaileddescripticalposition upon the floor l0. Within the uption taken inconnection with the accompanying per part of the housing structure Ithere is sedrawing forming part of this specification, with cured inspaced relation with the top of the inthe understanding, however, thatthe invention is ner wall 2, .the transverse partition plate Ii, thusnot confined to any strict conformity with the forming a relativelyshallow top chamber I2 40 showing of the drawing but may be changed orwhich constitutes a hot air chamber and a. lower modified so long assuch changes or modificachamber l3 which is entirely closed and in thetions mark no material departure from the salient lower part of whichthe heating element is features of the invention as expressed in theapinclosed.

pended claim. In the lower portion of the heating chamber In thedrawing:-- l3 there is supported upon suitable supporting Figure 1 is aview in vertical section through brackets I l which are connected withthe inner aheater constructed in accordance with the preswall of thecasing as illustrated, the air heating ent invention and showingdiagrammatically the drum l5 which preferably has the samecircumelectric circuits and thermostatic control units ferential designas the structure i and which 50 forming a part thereof, with the currentflow is provided with the outwardly bowed or conproducing means andheating units in the circuits. vex top and bottom walls l6 and I1respectively. Figure 2 is a, view of a modified form of the Extendingupwardly from the top wall iii of heater which is designed for use as asingle room the drum l5 are air conducting pipes l8 which heater and canbe shifted about. open through the partition ll into the chamber l2,thus establishing a communication between The drum l 5 and pipes l3 areclosed against communication with the interior of the heat chamber I3 sothat the latter chamber has no air outlet.

Opening through the bottom wall of the drum l5 is an air supply pipe l9which passes through the double wall of the casing I and has its otherend disposed to receive air from the outside of the building in whichthe heater is placed, to be conducted into the drum. Within the pipe ISan air circulating fan 20 is disposed and connected with an electricmotor 2| so that upon energization of the latter, air will be drawn inthrough the pipe and forced into the drum and through the tubes l8 intothe chamber l2. This motor 2| is placed in the circuit 22 which includesany suitable source of electric potential 23 and the thermostat unit,which is diagrammatically illustrated and generally indicated by thenumeral 24. This unit may be placed in one of the rooms of the buildingwhich the heating structure is intended to warm so that when the roomtemperature drops below the desired point, the motor 2| will beenergized to start the fan and circulation of air through the heatingtubes or pipes of the structure.

The top of the structure is provided with any suitable number of airoutlet and distributing pipes 25 according to the number of rooms whichthe structure is intended to heat and these pipes open directly throughthe top of a hot air chamber l2.

The electric heating unit I is connected in the electric circuit 26 inwhich may be placed a control switch 21, together with a suitable sourceol electric potential, which is here indicated by the numeral 28, as abattery. It will, of course, be obvious that the heating unit I may beconnected with the regular commercial current supply lines of thebuilding in which the structure is placed, therefore it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to the use of batteries foroperating the heater 1 or the electric motor 2!. In circuit with theheater 1 is a suitable thermostat, which is generally designated 29, andwhich is disposed within the chamber l3. This thermostat is so designedthat a reduction of temperature within the chamber I3, such as willresult when the fan 20 is started so as to circulate cold air throughthe tubes l8, will turn on the full supply of current to energize theheating unit 1 and after the temperature has risen in the chamber I3 toa desired point, the thermostat will operate to cut down the supply ofcurrent flowing to the heater so that the temperature within the chambercan be maintained at a desired maximum. Thus, when the temperature hasrisen in the chamber 13, the thermostat will operate to gradually cutoff the current supply until a minimum amount of current supply ispassing through the heater and as the heat from the chamber isdissipated by the air passing through the tubes Hi, the thermostat willreact to supply more current to the heater as may be necessary tomaintain the chamber temperature to the degree desired. After thetemperature in the room where the thermostat 24 is located, has risen tothe desired point, the motor 2| will be shut off and the heatedcondition of the chamber I3 will operate over a long period to maintainthe thermostat 29 in the position where the minimum amount of currentwill flow through the heater. The heater will be maintained operative,however, at all times that the switch 2'! is closed.

Figure 2 illustrates a modified form of the heater structure described,which is for portable use and, therefore, is constructed and hereillustrated upon a reduced scale. In this modified construction, theheater is generally designated by the numeral 30 and is of the sameconstruction as that shown in Figure l, with the exception that the topwall 3i over the hot air chamber 32 which is formed in the upper part ofthe structure, is provided with a series of heated air outlet openings33, instead of distributing pipes, such as those indicated in Figure lby the numeral 25. Supported upon suitable brackets 34 or in any othersuitable manner, is a hood structure 35, which is of materially greaterdiameter than the heater 30 and which completely inclose's the upperpart of the latter and is maintained in spaced relation with the top ofthe same by the brackets 34. The lower part of this hood is open, asshown, so that the area 36 which exists between the sides and top of thehood and the sides and top of the heater will permit the escape ofheated air downwardly around the base of the heater so that the same canbe eifectively distributed through a room instead of being permitted torise directly to the ceiling as it would do if the hood were, notemployed.

The supporting base 31 for the portable form of the heater may be of anysuitable design to facilitate moving the heater about and a suitable fanor blower 38 may be supported upon this base to effect the desiredforced circulation of air through the structure.

For the operation of the fan 38, which may have an electric motor 39associated therewith, and the heating unit (not shown) suitableelectrical coupling units in the form of outlet receptacle plugs 40 and4| may be connected by suitable wires, with the motor 39 and with theresistance heating element and control thermostat in the heatingstructure. 30 which is indicated in dotted outline and designated 42.The inlet for the fan structure 38 has coupled therewith a suitableflexible tube or pipe 43 which may have its inlet and secured to andopening through a panel or board 44 which is designed to be placed in awindow and held in position by the sash thereof so that the necessaryfresh air can be drawn in for passage through the heating structure. Itwill, of course, be obvious that after the portable heater is placed inposition in a room it can be set into operation by coupling the plugs 40and 4| with a suitable current supply receptacle and when it is desiredto stop the circulation of air, the plug 44 may be removed from thereceptacle and the heater allowed to function under the control of thethermostat unit 42.

From the foregoing, it will be readily apparent that there has beenherein disclosed a simple but novel type of electrically operated airheater which will function automatically to maintain a desired roomtemperature,

while the portable form of the heater has been illustrated as being ofsingle wall construction, it is, of course, to be understood that thesame may be provided with a double wall having insulation therein, as inthe structure shown in Figure 1.

I claim:

An air heater of the character described, comprising a drum structurehaving a top provided with heated air outlets, a partition wall securedtransversely of said drum to form a heated air chamber in the upper partthereof which communicates with said outlets, said drum below said wallbeing completely closed against communication with the outsideatmosphere and forming a heating chamber, a hollow air receiving body inthe lower part of said chamber, an air conduit leading through the wallof the drum to and communicating with said hollow body for carrying airfrom the outside of the drum into said body, air conducting tubesforming air passageways between the hollow body and said casing, anelectric heating unit within the lower part of said chamber beneath saidbody, an electric current conducting means for carrying electric currentto said heating unit, and a combined thermostatrheostat within saidclosed chamber and connected in series in said current conducting meansfor regulating the supply of electric current to said unit in accordancewith the temperature within said closed chamber.

ALFON A. WOLF.

